The Bluest Blue, Ever
by j4ws
Summary: I always had dreams about finding her and him. And then travelling with them. And then suddenly, I find that they're real. Now I have to take on his role to find and save him. After all, someone has got to keep the universe in check.
1. JUST SOMETHING IN MY EYES PROBABLY TEARS

_Why am I even meeting them here? _ This was the question that kept running through my head. I keep my fingers in my hair, holding it back while my eyes stay glued to the ground, making sure there are no branches I could trip over or poison ivy I could rub against. The duffle bag hanging on my shoulder is heavy. _I don't even like them, let alone camping._ Zoe, Anya, and Peter are all my friends, don't get me wrong. It's just that they only seem to like me when it seems fit, so I play the game too.

_And this forest is rubbish._

I pull my hand from my hair and hold my phone near my face, looking at the map. "Almost there, I guess," I say out loud, when I see something out the corner of my eye.

Normally you forget the somethings you see out the corner of your eye, like it's a moth flying home or a piece of lint floating to the ground. But this is a something you have to notice, and you have to go to it.

It's a police box.

I hastily jog over to it, putting my hand up to the wood. Moss was growing from the bottom up and the finish of the paint was growing dark and old. "Oh my… I remember I used to watch something like you. You were on the television, in this show. You were my life, you were…" A _whoosh_, barely audible, was made from the inside.

"Oh my… No," I run my hand down the corner of the box, bringing my other hand up to the handle that is conveniently placed where the phone _should_ be. "If you're real, there's going to be a phone right here. If you're real, I'm going to pick up the phone, and there's going to be no dial tone. If you're real- and I so hope you're real," I feel a few tears roll from my eyes as my forehead touches the door, "there won't be any wires connected to this phone." I muster up all of my faith and open the hatch to find exactly what I'm looking for- a dusty vintage telephone. I pick it up. No dial tone. Looking it over, my heart practically implodes. No wires... ever. Not even a trace of them.

"Oh my god!" My knees immediately give out. Kneeling on the ground, next to a worn out, moss-covered phone box, kissing the wood it was made out of, my eyes start spewing tears and my teeth are grabbing at my lip and these almost guttural moans that are rumbling at the bottom of my throat and I just want them to turn to to screams so I can let the whole forest know about my happiness. But I can't find my breath, and everything just comes out as a harsh whisper. "All of those years wondering, all of those dreams dreamt, every ounce of hope and faith I've ever had," the words stumble and just barely making it out of my throat. I'm crying so hard, I almost feel like I'm over-reacting. _Almost_. I clear my throat and try again, "Every single ounce of _hope_ and _faith_ I have_ ever_ had," it's just this obnoxious bellowing sound now, but it has to come out, "has gone into you!"

I breathe in to start giving my thanks again, when I hear it. _Click_. The breath I just took hitches.

"Oh you_ sexy thing,_" I say, slightly mocking the man I knew I'd find somewhere around here, hopefully. Finding the strength in my heart, I channel it back to my knees and then my hand to wipe my eyes. Courage bubbling inside me, I stand in front of the door and slowly, softly push it. Before even glimpsing inside, I whisper to the outside, "Dirty and worn, you're still the bluest blue ever." I kiss my hand and place it back on the door, giving it a gentle shove and letting the doors swing open.

I feel like my lungs are collapsing now. The room is burnt orange, just like the skies of the planet I knew I'd never see. The center of the room has the grated floors I've come to know so well. "_It really is bigger on the inside_," I whisper to myself. _Do I go in? Do I stay?_

"Where is he, old girl? Why have you been here all alone? And for how long?" my heart is breaking for her. How long had she spent here? Did he just leave her? Did something happen? I know I didn't want to go in and be an intruder, but she _did_ open the doors for me, after all.

"I know how to handle this. He obviously isn't around," I pat the outside one last time before storming in. I hear the doors swing shut behind me.


	2. Mission Super Possible: Find the Flirt

"Alright, Doctor! If you're in here, give me a shout!" I listen. Nothing.

_Just great,_ my head is full of anxiety, but I know I have to fix her. _No Doctor, a worn-out TARDIS, and all I have is a TV show to go on._ I can't just leave her here. So here's me, standing directly behind the door but next to the console. "Two steps to my… right. Now, wiggle the zigzag plotter!" My hand clasps the knob and wiggles it down to the very last zag. I cover my mouth to giggle a bit. "I've always wanted to do that!"

"Old girl, can you tell me," my eyes become fixed on the controls, looking over each one, "where the LTD switch is? I need to know if he's in here." A green button lights up. "Thanks girl."

Upon pressing the button, the screen immediately lights up with a map of the TARDIS. Before I can study it, it zooms in to each individual room, scanning it. After finishing each room, there isn't a trace of him anywhere. Then a map of outside the TARDIS appears and scans the surrounding area. Not one trace.

"All right, we'll do this the hard way then. Show me what happened the last time you saw him. Can you do that for me?" _Whiiirrr._

Then I feel her fear. I realize how she feels, I need to reassure her. "Old girl, I'd never, ever hurt you. I promise," my hand finds its way to the glass containing the time rotor. My thumb runs over the smooth surface. It almost feels like just looking at the rotor, I'm making direct eye-contact with her. Duly noted.

"I just want to find the Doctor. I need him to help me help you. Then I swear, I promise, I'll be on my way."

_Whiiir._

Reluctant, but I'll take it. I bring my attention to the screen where I know I'll see things I definitely fear. It's not just fiction this time, though. It's real; it's so very real. My heart drops and it dawns on me. _This isn't just a TV show I love anymore. This is real. I'm really going to have to fly this TARDIS and I'm really going to have to find the Doctor. I honestly don't know how I'm going to handle this._

The Doctor, clad in a brown suit with blue pinstripes, white converse fit snuggly around his feet, appears on the screen. As he's about to run out the door, no companion at his side, he turns back towards the console.

"_Weell, Old Girl, this is bad," _his eyes look so apologetic and I can tell, he's scared. _"… Very bad. Once I leave, I need you to lock the doors and go into Stasis Mode. I need you to protect yourself." _

Slowly, he walks over to the controls and rests his hand lightly on top of them. _"Please protect yourself, you're my very best friend and...,"_ he looks up at the rotor and smiles softly, "_If I come back, you need to be up and ready for me. Because if— no— _when_ I come back, I'm going to take you out and treat you to something I know you'll just love, all right?"_ Unmistakably a Rose Tyler "all right," if you ask me.

But which companion was he at? Does he even have a companion at the moment?

"_Weeeeell, thank you, Old Girl! Can't be forgetting this, now can I?" _Removing his hand from the controls, the TARDIS had produced for him a new Sonic Screwdriver. With one last look at the rotor, sincerely smiling at her, he walked out of the doors.

Then the camera switches to the outside view just as the Doctor walks out of the door. A woman is just outside waiting. She stands as stoic as her two large, albeit muscular, guards. _"Take me to him," _are the only words he says before placing his hand on the woman's wrist and vanishing with the three of them.

As the footage ended, a time stamp appeared on the screen. "June 12, 1997."

"His face was stern… very stern. Just like when he had to introduce Rose to the—," I had to stop myself. "I have absolutely no clue what part of his time-line I'm in. I can't just run around saying things like that to him or this trusting beauty. Now, 1997. What year is this? 2009?" I look at my phone. "Yep, March 5, 2009."

_**Wait**_. "Twelve years? You've been here TWELVE YEARS?!" I know that I shouldn't be mad, but I know that I am mad. I'm very mad. How could he do this? My legs begin large strides across the grated flooring. I open my mouth to take a long, much needed breath. _Caaaaalm, _ I think to myself as I exhale.

A few more breaths, and I've calmed down to an inspiring anger.

Inspiring as in the "I need to find him so I can kill him and I have to be calm in order to fly her" type of inspiring.

"Okay, okay. Well, that looked like a Vortex Manipulator on her wrist. Must be short-range, because knowing the Doctor, he would have already drained out most of the energy from it without her noticing. Right?"

_Whiir._

My hand slides across the controls and gives her a pat as I continue pacing. Around and around the panel I go, one hand on the controls and the other on my temple. _Think, think. _

"Okay, well, before I do anything, I know I can't do it alone. I know for a fact that the Doctor does NOT want you in battle. So, can I take you to Cardiff for just a bit? I need to find Jack, and I know you need the energy."

_Whiiir!_

I know that's "the okay." I scan my eyes over the panel and find the keyboard, putting my years of blogging to use.

_Roald Dahl Plass, Cardiff, Wales. March 5, 2009._

Then I think, hard. Every picture and gif and video I've ever blogged of the console are called to the image centers of my head and, with eyes scrunched closed and the keyboard under my fingers, I slide my hand across all of the levers I can find. My eyes pop open and I run over to the handbrake, shoving it upwards. The time rotor begins to purr in a way I'd always dreamed of hearing in person. Switching hands on the brake, I find the time/space forward/back control and steady it in the middle. "Oh my gosh, I see his issue!" A laugh escapes my lips while my foot swings on top of fabrication panel and hits just what I need it to: the dematerialize button.

My stomach instantly becomes filled with angry butterflies— similar to the feeling of riding one of those amusement park rides that take you up as slow as possible and then drop to the bottom. A grin creeps across my face as I brace for the imminent impact I've seen so many times. I glance behind to make sure the chair is there against the railing, ready for me to fall into. Just as I whirl my head back to the rotor, we land with a thud and I'm thrust backwards into the seat.

"That wasn't as frustrating as I thought it would be!" I lean my head back against the rail and laugh while my legs stretch towards the controls and my torso leans forward to stand.

I stride over to the doors and open them to reveal none other than exactly what I needed: Roald Dahl Plass.

"You stay here girl, recharge. I need you ready for travel!" _Whiir!_

"Now, I need to remember how to get into the Hub."


	3. She Only Read A Few Lemons

Before I can even take one complete step out of the door, I see him running toward us— the TARDIS and me— at full speed. With one foot still inside the doors, I bring the foot on the outside cement back into the TARDIS and wait for Jack to arrive. She makes an almost groaning noise; I can tell she's uncomfortable. She knows that he's, as the Doctor would say it, _"wrong."_ But I bring my hand from my pocket to the door and caress it, settling her down.

_Shit, I really have no idea who he's met and who he hasn't yet. _I suddenly realize, with only seconds to think it over. _Has the incident with the Master happened yet? _Then my thoughts turn grave…_ has the incident with Donna happened yet?_

"Doctor! That's you, right?" He stops at the door, putting a hand on his hip and leaning slightly against the threshold to catch his breath. "You're a girl now? I thought I'd never see the day. And beautiful, too!" he continued, the usual flirtatiousness on his lips.

"Jack, I'm not the Doctor," I start, not sure of how he'd take the news. "But, I guess you could kind of say I'm a friend of his. I need your help."

His face goes from excited to puzzled as he hears these words. "By all means, Jack, come in." I stand aside and hold my arm out, motioning for him to enter. And he does, because he and I both know he's not missing a chance for more answers to his… Problem.

A freaking amazing problem, if you ask me.

We walk up the stairs on the far side of the console room, the stairs I've never seen the true pilot of this fine ship ever go up, and pull up a chair for each of us. I obviously have a bit of explaining to do.

"Well, I know that somehow you already know me, but... Hello," he starts, smiling, and holding out his hand to shake mine. I see a twinkle plaster itself onto that trademark flirt-face and I can't help but to giggle. Who in their right mind wouldn't? Unless you're the Doctor, that is.

"Hello, Jack," I manage through my laughter and flushed face while I reach my hand out to shake his.

"So where's the Doctor?" he finally starts what I know I have to explain. My head is still trying to figure out how to word it, so I shake away the doubt on my face and decide I'll tell him exactly what happened. I'll probably leave out a few parts, though.

"Well, all right. This is going to sound weird, but you have to trust me when I say I'm telling the truth." He nods his head. I continue.

"Well, first, I need to figure out. How many of the Doctor's companions have you met?"

"Two," he held his gaze and thought again, recounting. "Yeah, two: Rose Tyler and Martha Jones. Why?"

"I need to figure out which part of the time-line I'm in. Would you happen to know if he's met anyone else yet?" I think to the red-head I know he'll come to love so much and lose so hard. I so hope he hasn't met her yet. I don't want this to be an adventure he had with her that was never aired.

"Not that I know of," he shifted his eyes to the floor, obviously thinking, "Although I'm positive he will soon, eh? You know him, he just can't help himself." He lets out a chuckle.

"Yeah…," I chuckle, too, starting to trail off. This is going to be a very… _ood_ hour. A giggle escapes my chest at the pun usage Jack will never understand.

"I never caught your name, by the way. Mind sharing?" I look up from the floor to meet his eyes again, just in time for them to dig into my soul and bury their stare there.

Name. What was my name, again? Jack can be very distracting. "Wendy," I smile. A memory surfaces of a time when I was small and the television show that helped me to where I am in this moment was a family moment in the day. I can see through the eyes of a small girl, so naïve to the world around her. The younger me looks up at my mother and asks, _"Do you think Wendy is a companion's name?"_

"_Of course, sweetheart. I'm sure you'll find him some day."_

I know she was just comforting the very gullible child I was, but that memory brings more of the surreal air to realization.

So I smile at Jack and before he speaks, I start.

"I don't know where he is, Jack," I admit, dejectedly. "I know about his whole life, birth to his Eleventh incarnation. I'm not allowed to tell you how and I don't think you'd believe me if I tried. So just believe me now, please."

I know I have his full attention now. He shifts to an upright position in the chair, instead of his casual elbows-on-his-knees type.

"I was going to meet some friends. I was in Minnesota, they wanted me to come camping. So, I'm going to meet them and I see her," I pat the railing and look over at the rotor, smiling, "out of the corner of my eye. She looked terrible. She was dusty and worn-out and she looked so… sad." I pat the railing and continue. "So I hugged her, and I told her how amazing she was. And boy, I meant it. Before I knew it, she let me in. She actually let me in."

"Right, so… wait," he stops, grabbing my hand and rubbing his thumb over the back of it. _Same old Jack,_ I think to myself. "You just found her? The Doctor was absolutely nowhere to be found?"

"Not that I could tell from the outside," my hand leaves his and meets the other at my hairline before combing through my hair. "And upon entering, I immediately hit the LTD switch."

"Right, Locate the Doctor. The scan said?"

"Nothing. The scan came up with absolutely nothing. I thought if I came in and I could just find him and ask him why she looks so poorly, then I'd be on my way. But I'm not stupid. I needed to know what was up. So then I asked her to show me the footage of when the Doctor was last aboard the TARDIS, and it showed him apologizing and then running out and teleporting off with some woman and her body guards." My hands are on the back of my neck now, I can feel the worry starting to emanate from Jack and creep over to me. As if I'm not already worried enough.

He nods. "Show me that footage later."

"Right, well, we have some time," I pause, regaining my courage. "Anyway, the more important factor of that footage is when it was taken. Do you know when, Jack?"

"Tell me."

"June 12, 1997."

"No!" He gasps, immediately bringing his Vortex Manipulator into his line of sight. "It's March 5! 2009, at that!"

"Sweet, I landed her right," I silently congratulate myself, before getting back to the situation at hand. "I know! She had just been sitting there for _twelve years_."

He rises from his seat. I know he's very, very worried now.

"The woman had a Vortex Manipulator, like yours. The Doctor had to have drained it down to short-range."

His eyes meet mine again. "Yeah, he never lets me run where I want with mine. I don't exactly believe he'd let anyone else do the same."

"Right, that's what I thought." _This is going a lot smoother than I expected. _I rise from my chair just as he had done minutes before and make my way down to the console's monitor screen and flicking it on. "Can you show me the part just before he disappears, girl? Where he talks to the woman?"

Jack appears behind me and watches the screen intently.

"_Take me to him."_ He hears it as plainly as I did.

"He's not even wearing his coat!" he gasps again.

_He isn't._ _Since when does he leave without that coat?_

"Right well, I figured if I was going to find him and rescue him from whatever twelve-year-terror is out there, then I'd be needing some help. So I flew her here, to find you."

Jack seats himself to take in what he's hearing. "Well, I can say you were right about that. And I'll completely ignore the fact that you know how to fly a time machine, too."

"Ha, thanks." I sit down next to him. "Who do you have at Torchwood now? Is it still Gwen, Ianto, Owen and Tosh?"

"Of course it is. We even had Martha over for a spell. But if you're going to ask to bring them with us, I'll only agree to bring Tosh and Ianto." His eyes just keep meeting mine and it's just so distracting. I swear I could melt.

Breaking away from his gaze, I shake myself back into the situation, yet again. "Yes! Please do, we'll need all the help we can get." I stop myself. We don't actually need all the help we can get, that's too many lives at stake. I won't take more than I need. "Actually no," I start again. "Just bring Ianto. Doesn't he know his way around the field, tech, medical, and coffee?" I never thought a spin-off and some fan-fiction would come in this much handy. "And I know he was at the Battle. Ianto's fine. Actually, I have just one more question for now. I don't want to go running onto some foreign ship probably rigged from head to toe with violent enemies. Is there any possible way we can bring some guns?"

"What kind of guns are you proposing?" He cocks his eyebrow, interested. I know Captain Jack Harkness loves his guns.

I test my limits. Not only because it had always been a part of my secret fan-girl fantasy to shoot one, but because we probably really needed them. "One of each? Maybe more?"

"Haha! I like you better than I thought!" he proclaims, jumping out of the seat and heading towards the door. "Come on, then!"

"One second." I pace over to the fabrication panel and place my hand on the rotor while my eyes look over all the cogs and buttons and levers and switches. I murmur to the great ship, stroking the glass, "You beautiful girl, could you give me a key please? You know I'll need to be able to unlock you and lock you, to keep you safe. I don't want to have to depend on you every time," I pause, waiting for the response. Nothing, so I continue. "I give you my word that as soon as we find the Doctor, I'll give it back to him. I know it's hard, but trust me, please."

Another reluctant hum, but at least it was something to go on. Out of a hole in the console, a key pops out. I pick it up and meet Jack at the door.

"Let's go get our protection." I shut the doors and lock them before heading to Torchwood Three's invisible lift with the Captain.


End file.
